


Tap, Tap

by Deansthedoctornow



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrian Knows, Aged Up, Angst, F/M, Injury, Semi-Reveal, but not gorey injury, more like cleaning up after the injury, moving towards reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-09-25 21:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9845150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deansthedoctornow/pseuds/Deansthedoctornow
Summary: Marinette woke up in the middle of the night to a mysterious tapping noise. Chat Noir is on her terrace, and he needs some help that only she can give him...





	1. Chapter 1

_Tap tap._

Marinette rolled over underneath her covers. She lazily opened one eye to glance at the clock sitting on the side table next to her bed. _1:32 am_. She groaned. Why did she always have to wake up in the middle of the night? This was supposed to be her first full night’s worth of sleep all week- no akuma attacks had happened that day, and it was Chat’s turn for patrol. She pulled the covers tight over her head as she rolled back over, desperately trying to get back to her wonderful dream about Adrian…

_Tap tap tap tap tap._

There it was again, more urgent and louder than before. She couldn't just pretend she didn't hear it that time. Once, maybe. Twice? She sighed as she threw her covers off as she sat up with a groan, accidentally waking up Tikki.

“Marinette, what's wrong?” Tikki asked with a yawn from her little nest of blankets in the corner of Marinette’s bed.

Marinette smiled at the sleepy Kwami. “I'm sure it's nothing, Tikki. Just the wind knocking one of my plants into the window again. Go back to sleep.”

“Well, if you insist…” Tikki was asleep before she even finished the sentence. Marinette chuckled lightly at the sight as she stood up, stretching her arms up way above her head.

_Tap tap tap tap tap BANG!_

She jumped at the loud noise. There was no way that was the wind. She bolted up the short ladder to her rooftop terrace, yanking open the small trap door. The cool morning air hit her face hard as a gust of wind flew by, clearing any remaining sleep from her head.

She looked around quickly for who (or what) had made the loud banging noise. Her eyes settled on one of her potted plants that had fallen over.

“Oh no, not my roses,” she groaned as she noticed the pot had shattered. She grabbed one of the extras she kept stacked in the corner and set to work quickly repotting the plant, thanking her lucky stars it didn’t appear to have suffered any serious damage. Another gust of wind swept by, almost knocking another plant over.

Marinette sighed. _Guess it was the wind after all,_ she thought as she placed the plant back in its rightful spot. She stood up, wiping her dirty hands on her fuzzy pj pants. She walked back over towards the door, eager to get out of the chilly night air.

_Tap tap tap._

She froze. There was that noise again. And this time, there was no wind to blame it on.

“Who's there?” She asked out loud, glancing at the darkness around her. She reached over and grabbed the nearest object - a dirt covered spade - to use as a weapon. She turned around slowly, eyeing every little unknown shadow.

She heard a quiet voice mutter “shit” from the rooftop above her. She whipped around, staring at the spot the voice had come from, spade raised high.

“I know you're there, no use hiding,” she said, her voice steady even as her hand shook nervously.

The mysterious voice sighed. A familiar figure rose up out of the darkness and dropped onto the terrace in front of her. Marinette tilted her head, surprised.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing here so late?” Mari asked, lowering the spade just a little.

The superhero sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed he had been caught. “Well, um, you see…” He looked right at her, his piercing eyes almost glowing in the dim light. “I kinda need your help.”

Marinette gave the cat an inquiring look as she set the spade down on the table. Her mind started racing, thinking about all the possibilities as to why he was here of all places. “My help?  Chat, don't you know what time it is? I was sleeping!”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know it's really late, but it couldn't wait. Will you help me?”

Marinette sighed. “Fine. But what can I do to help you? I thought you were the one that helped people?” She said in defeat.

Chat refused to look at her, still embarrassed about waking her up. “Well, um, you see, I was out on a solo patrol and I kinda cut myself real bad, and I need help bandaging it and if figured since you’re a babysitter you know how to do first aid...”

Marinette’s eyes went wide with shock. _Chat was hurt?_ “Why didn't you just say that? Come inside, I'll need some light to do this…” she opened the trap door and descended carefully into her room, Chat following close behind her. She flipped a switch next to the door, the small room filling with light.

“Why don't you have a seat on my bed while I get some bandages...” she said, trailing off as Chat flopped down onto her bed.

“So I take it you're a fan of that model, huh?” Chat said, wiggling his ears playfully as he looked around her room.

Marinette could feel her cheeks burning. She had completely forgotten that he room was covered in all sorts of pictures and posters of Adrian. Of course Chat would notice them, she should’ve thought about that before inviting him in.

Chat sat up on the edge of the bed, his tail moving around behind him like it had a mind of its own. “Can't say I'm not disappointed, though. There's not a single picture of me-ow in here!” He said, dramatically throwing a hand up to his forehead in mock offense.

She rolled her eyes at his overdramatic reaction and cleared her throat. “Ok then… Moving on. Where are you cut?” She asked, moving closer to her partner. She let her eyes wander over him, but she couldn't see a single cut in his extremely tight fitting suit.

”Like what you see?” Chat joked as he moved his arm up to strike a seductive pose. Or at least, he tried to. He winced in pain as he moved his arm a little too fast, and quickly dropped it back down to his side. Marinette stepped forward reflexively, wanting to take away her partner’s pain, but she stopped herself before she could reach out and grab his arm.

Chat sobered up, and his face took on a much more serious look than Marinette had ever seen. “Well, um, you see… here's the thing,” he stammered out. “I think I've got a cut on my arm and one on my chest, but I'm not entirely sure because my suit fixes itself...” he trailed off, unsure of how to approach the touchy subject.

Marinette stared at him blankly for a moment before it hit her. Her eyes went wide as she realized what that cat had been implying.

“You- you have to detransform for me to fix you?” She said, more of a statement then a question. Chat looked away from her and nodded his head, his ears flopping with the movement. Marinette’s head was spinning, trying to wrap itself around the idea that Chat Noir was _here,_ and wanted to reveal himself to _her_. To Marinette.

“But- why me? Why not Ladybug?” She asked, trying to stall. She wasn't sure if she was ready for him to reveal himself to her as Ladybug, but she definitely was sure she wasn't ready as Marinette.

Chat shook his head, his hair bouncing along with his head. “My Lady made it very clear she doesn't want to know my secret identity. And I've worked with you before, Marinette. I trust you. More than I trust anyone else at this point,” He said quietly.

 _Oh god oh god oh god,_ Marinette thought. This was actually going to happen. She was going to say no, she really was. But one look at Chat’s pleading eyes rendered her completely helpless.

“O-ok then… do you want me to watch or do you want me to leave the room while you…” she stammered on, still trying to come up with a plan to get her out of this mess.

Chat stood up, wincing slightly, and grabbed her hand. He pulled her close to him, so that they were face to face.  “I want you to watch. Claws off,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

Green light swirled around Chat, and Marinette let go of his hands as it engulfed him. She wasn't ready for this, she wasn't re-

Something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes and before she could even think, she reacted. Marinette grabbed a large blanket off of her bed and threw it over Chat as the green light began to dim.

“Hey!” He protested, his voice slightly muffled. “Marinette, what-”

“I don't think I'm ready to know who you are, Chat. If Ladybug doesn't know, then no one else should. Just keep the blanket over your head, and I can fix you up just fine.” She said, pushing the cat back down onto her bed.

“Oh, ok, well that works for me,” he said. Marinette pretended not to hear the disappointment in his muffled voice.

“Alright, I’m going to grab some bandages… why don't you take your shirt off so I can fix you up when I get back.” Marinette ducked out of the room and into her private bathroom, shutting the door behind her to avoid temptation.

She clutched the edges of the sink tight, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked awful- her hair was a mess, she had a little bit of mascara on the skin under her eyes. She pushed the thought of her appearance out of her mind, and tried to focus on what was happening right now. _Oh god, there's an untransformed Chat in my bed right now. My partner, in my bed, in my room, with-_ Marinette froze and her blood ran cold. _Tikki_.

Marinette couldn't believe she had forgotten Tikki. Tikki, who was currently sleeping in her bed. Tikki was in her bed, Tikki was in HER BED WITH AN UNTRANSFORMED CHAT.

“Oh no oh no oh no,” Marinette muttered as she rummaged through the cabinets below her sink, quickly looking for bandages. She couldn't leave them alone for too long- she didn't want Chat or his Kwami to figure it out. “Why did he have to pick me?” She finally found the box of first aid stuff she kept tucked far in the back, and stood up. She took a moment to compose herself.

“Alright, Chat, put the blanket back on, I'm coming back out.” She said through the door. She heard the quiet rustling noise of the blanket being pulled over his head, and she turned the handle.

If it wasn't for the discarded shirt laying in a ball at the foot of her bed, she wouldn't have believed Chat had moved at all. The blanket was over his face, and he had tucked the ends behind his shoulders, revealing a very toned and muscular chest. Marinette felt her cheeks blushing harder than ever as she tried not to stare at his perfectly chiseled features. _Remember Marinette, it's just Chat. He's your annoying partner, remember?_ Yeah, but he was her annoying and perfect partner.

“Marinette? You there? You can come back meow,” Chat asked nervously. Marinette snapped out of it and crossed the room, setting the box of medical supplies on the bed next to Chat.

“Sorry, I was ju-” she started, but Chat caught her off.

“Admiring the view? I don't blame you, I admire myself too.” He said, easing his arms to flex his bulging muscles. Marinette rolled her eyes. There was the Chat she knew, the overbearing cocky one who didn’t know how to stop flirting.

“Stop flexing, you're going to make me puke,” an unfamiliar voice said snarkily. Marinette jumped in alarm as a small black cat flew around to perch on Chat’s covered face.

“Oh shut up Plagg, you're just jealous of my pawesome body,” Chat laughed lightly.

Marinette blinked at the Kwami. She had forgotten about him completely. She prayed Tikki would be smart enough to stay hidden and not blow her cover.

“Marinette? Still here?” Chat asked lightly, a little concerned.

“Right, yes. Let me see,” she stepped away from the bed a little to better see Chat’s wounds. Just as he said, there was a large gash on his left arm and a little scrap in his right pec. She reached into the first aid kit and grabbed out some bandages, alcohol wipes and some antibacterial cream.

“Alright, this is going to sting a little. Think you can handle it?” She teased, trying to keep her hands steady.

Chat scoffed. “I'm a superhero- of course I can- YOAW!” He helped as Marinette started rubbing the wipes over the cut on his chest.

“You were saying?” Marinette and Plagg chuckled. Chat huffed.

“That doesn't count, I wasn't ready.”

“You wouldn’t be ready even if you had a million years to prepare you big baby,” Plagg muttered from his resting place on Chat’s head.

Marinette tried her best to clean the wound on his chest quickly. She could feel Chat wincing every time she touched it, whether it was to wipe up the excess blood surrounding the cut or to put antibacterial cream on it. She didn't like seeing him in pain, especially not when she was the one causing it. She felt better when she finished putting a bandaid on the cut and moved to the deep gash in his arm.

He didn't flinch this time when she wiped at it with the alcohol wipes, or even as she started rubbing in the antibacterial cream. She could, however, hear his breath hitch with every new move she made, and it was killing her. She couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“How'd you hurt yourself?” She asked, working diligently.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Chat said, surprised at her sudden question. “Well, truth be told, I landed wrong on a rooftop. Lost my footing and slipped down. They had one of those jagged edged rooftops, and it sliced my arm when I went to grab in before I fell. Cut my chest when I slammed back into the edge. Not very heroic, huh? “He sighed, a sigh that sounded so broken it took everything in Marinette's powers not to throw her arms around him. “Ladybug never would've done something so reckless and stupid. God, if she ever found out… she'd never let me live it down. I can see her face scolding me. ‘You should've looked before you leaped you stupid cat.’ I guess that's why people don't take me seriously. I mean, I'm not even worthy enough to have my picture up on the walls of your room, and we worked together. No one wants to love a sidekick.”

Marinette finished wrapping up his arm and grabbed Chat’s hand. She squeezed it tight, looking up at the hero’s covered face. She hasn't realized he felt this way, that his whole cocky attitude was just a facade. It broke her heart, hearing him say all those negative things about himself.

“Chat, you're not stupid. A little reckless, maybe, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. I don't have posters up of you because-” _because I'm Ladybug and I see you everyday, because I have your face memorized, because I see you every time I close my eyes_ “-because I haven't found any that quite do you justice. Chat, you're special. And you're the bravest person I've ever met. Any girl would be lucky to have you. People love you, Chat. I know I do.” She said quietly.

She let go of his hand, and stood up before the superhero could say anything. She grabbed the first aid kit off the bed. “I'm going to put these away now…” she quickly walked over to her bathroom as a green light once again filled her bedroom. She put the supplies down on the sink and took a deep breath before walking back out into her room. Chat was standing next to her bed. The blanket that had previously been covering him was no longer needed and laid discarded on the floor around his feet.

He turned around to face her. Marinette noticed for that, for the first time since she could remember, his tail was still. The pair stood their in silence for a moment. Neither one moved at all.

“So, I guess this is-” Marinette started awkwardly.

Chat took two steps forward, closing the gap between them. She felt his gloved hands grab her face moments before his lips crashed into hers. She closed her eyes as he kissed her, and was a little shocked to find herself kissing him back. Chat’s soft lips seemed to fit perfectly on hers as they moved in unison. The kiss itself was soft and sweet, yet filled with a passion Marinette couldn't quite explain.

It didn't last very long. Chat pulled away first, leaving her absolutely dumbstruck. “Thank you so much, Marinette,” he leaned over and whispered in her ear, his voice slightly deeper than normal. He kissed her once more, just barely a peck, before rushing up the stairs to the terrace and back out into the night.

Marinette stood there in shock for a solid five minutes after Chat had left. _Did that really just happen?_ She brought her trembling hand up to gently brush her lips, the lips that Chat had just kissed.

Realization hit her hard. Chat had KISSED her. Not Ladybug her, but Marinette her. She sat down hard on the edge of her bed, cradling her head in her hands. What was she going to do?

* * *

 

Chat sat perched upon the rooftop across from Marinette’s window. He watched as she finally moved from where he had left her several minutes before. He could hear Plagg’s relentless teasing already, but he didn’t mind. Of course, the night hadn’t gone exactly how he planned it to.

He had been on patrol earlier that night, thinking, of course, about the love of his life Ladybug and about his schoolboy crush on Marinette. He was in midair when it hit him- Marinette was Ladybug. All the connections where there- she was about his height, had blue pigtails with matching blue eyes, and was always disappearing whenever there was an akuma attack.

It was this realization that caused him to mess up on the rooftop and cut himself. For a moment there, he had thought about calling it a night and heading home to fix himself up, but then he came up with a brilliant plan. He would go to Marinette, tell her he’s hurt and she needs to see him untransformed to fix him, and then they could be together.

Chat watched Marinette turn off the lights in her window. He sighed at his stupidity. He should’ve just come right out and said it. But he didn’t. He let her patch him up without ever revealing himself, let her see him weak and vulnerable, and then what did he do? He kissed her. Not that he regretted the kiss- in fact, he wanted nothing more than to swing back down into Marinette’s room and kiss her senseless. Instead, he stood up and turned away from the love of his life, who still didn’t know, and headed home, wondering what in the world he was going to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

School the next day was hard. Marinette had a pounding headache- a side effect, she supposed, from staying up so late fixing that stupid cat partner of hers. The one that kissed her and then left, the one that was overbearing at the best of times. The one that she couldn’t stop thinking about. After he’d left, she had tried to get back to sleep, but she just couldn’t. She kept thinking about the way he looked at her, right before he kissed her. The way his lips felt pressed up against her own… 

“Marinette, are you listening to me?” Marinette jumped as her best friend, Alya, kicked her shin lightly. 

Marinette smiled sheepishly and sat up a little bit more in her chair. “Sorry, Alya, my mind started wandering again...” 

Alya rolled her eyes. “Girl, you have gotta get some more sleep at night! You completely missed me telling you all about my date with Nino last night!” Marinette smiled as she watched her friend go on and on about how good the food Nino made her was, and how they held hands as they walked through the park late at night.

Marinette could feel her eyes glazing over. She liked listening to Alya, and she did want to hear all about the date, but she didn’t want to know every single little detail like how loud the birds were chirping. 

“And then, the most amazing thing happened! Chat noir-” Marinette jumped. 

“Ch-chat noir? Wh-what about him?” She stammered, trying (and failing) to hide the little hint of joy in her voice when his name was mentioned. Alya rolled her eyes again as she picked up her phone from the desk top. 

“Come on, Mari, stop zoning out. Like I was saying, Chat Noir showed up and posed for a picture with us!” She shoved her phone in Marinette’s face. Sure enough, there he was right in the middle of Nino and Alya. Marinette’s heart flipped as she thought about what he had done after that picture.

“That’s so cool, Alya! I’m happy for you,” Marinette said, handing the phone back to her friend. 

“Uh-huh. Chloe’s been off sulking about it all day. Now,” Alya returned her phone to its previous spot on the desk before she turned her full attention on Marinette.  “Spill.”

Marinette feigned surprise. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. “S-spill? Spill what? I don’t have anything to spill…” she babbled on under Alya’s unforgiving gaze. Alya didn’t say a word, just arched her eyebrows at her in a “if you don’t tell me know You’ll regret it” way. 

Marinette sighed in defeat. “Fine. But you can’t tell anyone…” 

Ayla smiled and pretended to be offended. “Me? Tell people my best friend’s deepest darkest secrets? I can’t believe you would even suggest such a thing!” 

Marinette bumped Alya’s shoulder playfully with her own. “Aw, cut it out. I mean it, Alya.” she took a deep breath and whispered, “Chat Noir showed up on my balcony again last night.”

“WHAT?” Alya said loudly, jumping back.  The teacher looked up from her desk and gave them a dirty look. Alya raised a slight hand in a ‘sorry’ before continuing in a quiet whisper. “What did he want? What did you do? What happened tell me everything!”

Marinette laughed quietly and shushed her friend. “Calm down, Alya, nothing happened.”  _ Except I saw him shirtless and we totally kissed.  _ “He just wanted to stop by and say hi. I was sitting out on my balcony doing the homework for History and he saw me.”

Alya seemed to believe her, and she sat back in her chair. “That’s so cool. He’s so cool. He’s the only guy I’d ever leave Nino for.” She looked over at her boyfriend, who was sitting across the aisle from them next to his best friend, Adrian. She smiled as she caught his eye and blew him a kiss. 

Marinette laughed. “Does Nino know how you feel about this Chat?” 

Alya laughed. “Oh yeah. He said I’d have to fight him for Chat, because he’s in love with the hero too.” 

The two girls laughed loudly, which caused another dirty look from their teacher. It was a good thing they were in their final year, otherwise they probably would have gotten a detention or something. They quickly went back to their work (or rather, went back to pretending to work), and once again Marinette’s mind started to wander. 

She hated having to lie to Alya, but she didn’t want her best friend freaking out because she kissed the most famous guy in all of Paris. Especially since she didn’t even know how she felt about the whole situation. 

For the past three years, Marinette had been so laser focused on her love for Adrian she hadn’t even considered Chat. He had always been so over the top, so flirty. Last night she’d seen a side of him she hadn’t seen before, a softer, sweeter side. A side that made her heart flip when she thought about him. One thing she was certain about, though? She didn’t know what she was going to do the next time she saw Chat as Ladybug. 

The day seemed to pass agonizingly slow. Every class, Marinette drifted off thinking about Chat and the events of last night. Finally, the final bell rang loud overhead,  dismissing the kids for the day. 

“I’m gonna go catch up with Nino- we’re going to go get ice cream and make out. I’ll text you all about it tonight!” Alya said over her shoulder as she raced out of the classroom. 

“Have fun! And be safe!” Marinette called out laughing at Alya’s retreating back. SHe lingered behind at her desk for a couple minutes packing up all of her stuff as the classroom quickly emptied. 

“Hey, Marinette,” a familiar voice said in front of her. Marinette looked up, and there was her dream boy, Adrian, standing right in front of her. He had on a long sleeve shirt, which was a little unusual considering it was fairly nice out, and had his bag hanging off of his left shoulder. He smiled at her. 

“Hey, Adrian,” she said. It had taken three years to actually be able to talk to the handsome model. Not that she had practiced or anything. “What’s up?” She slid the last book into her bag, and swung it over her shoulder as she walked around the desk. 

Adrian looked at her softly, a small smile at the corner of his lips. He didn’t reply. 

“Adrian? You ok?” Marinette asked, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder. 

The boy jumped, and shook his head, his golden curls bouncing up and down. “Ye-yeah, I’m good. Um, listen, um…” he stammered on as they walked side by side out the classroom door. “Um, I need some help with my history assignment, and was wondering if you could help me?”

Marinette couldn’t deny her heart sank a little at the thought of only hanging out with Adrian because of homework, but she didn’t really care. Hanging out with Adrian was hanging out with adrian! “Yeah, I can help you out. Why don’t you come home with me and we can grab a snack while we work?” 

Adrian smiled. “Yeah, soun-” 

A piercing and familiar screech rang through the air, cutting him off. “Akuma!” 

Marinette felt her heart drop. Of course there’d be an attack right when she was getting somewhere with Adrian. And of course, that meant she had to deal with Chat… 

She didn’t have any time to think before Adrian grabbed her forearm and practically threw her into the nearest classroom, slamming the door behind her. “Stay here! I’ll go find help!”

“Adrain! Wa-” She called out, but it was no use. The boy had disappeared around the corner. She huffed in frustration. “That boy is going to get himself killed…” she muttered as she opened her purse to let Tikki fly out. 

“Spots on!” 

The red light that engulfed her never ceased to calm her mind, no matter what the situation. Ladybug burst through the doors and out into the courtyard, where the akuma was wreaking havoc. Her classmates knew better than to run around screaming, but that didn’t stop a few of the younger students from doing so. She couldn’t help but smile a bit as she watched Alya and Nino direct the younger students close to them on where to hide from the akuma’s wrath. 

“So My Lady, who’s the unlucky cat who caught the eye of the hawk?” Chat said, meandering around the corner. He put his elbow up on her shoulder to lean on her. She swatted him off and angled herself so she could see his face and the akuma at the same time. 

“Well, it looks a little like m- I mean, the school principal,” Ladybug stammered out. She didn’t want to give him any information as to who she was, especially not after last night. “I think the Akuma’s in that notepad he’s holding…” she got caught off as the Akuma noticed the pair babbling away on the balcony. 

“Notepad. Got it!” Chat Noir bounded away as the Akuma shot a piece of paper at them. Ladybug had to dive outta the way to avoid being hit. 

“Nasty Naughty Children! You ALL will get detention!” He roared. Ladybug smiled. This she could deal with. 

* * *

 

Before you could say “Ladybug and Chat Noir are the best superhero team in paris” the duo had managed to capture the notepad and had gotten rid of the Akuma. Chat hadn’t even needed to use his Cataclysm. Chat came and stood next to Ladybug as she threw her lucky charm- a handheld mirror she used to shine sunlight directly in the akuma’s eyes- up into the air. 

“Great job, My Lady,” Chat said with a bow as the ladybugs flew off to fix all the holes in the school left by exploding detention slips. “You know what else is great?” He wiggled his ears again. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Your excuses? Your sense of humor- oh wait, I forgot you didn’t have one.” She teased back. 

Chat clutched his heart dramatically as his ears pressed flat against his head. “Ouch, my lady, right in the pride.” 

A small beeping from her earrings told her she didn’t have much time. “I’ve gotta go, Chat. See you later!” She said as she yo-yo’d up and away. She landed right outside the window for the classroom Adrian had shoved her in. Lucky for her, it was unlocked and she was able to sneak inside undetected. 

Once she was sure she was alone, Ladybug said quietly, “Spots off!” The swirling red light engulfed her again and filled the classroom. Tikki dropped down lightly into her hands. Marinette smiled at her little Kwami, and at how cute she looked all nestled in her hand. She carefully put Tikki down into the bag at her side, and walked out of the classroom and almost ran right into Chat, who was hanging upside from the ceiling spider man style. 

“Gah!” she cried in surprise. Her reflexives kicked in, and she found herself reaching out and whacking in on his nose. Chat lost his balance and landed with a loud  _ Omf! _ On the ground in front of her. 

“Wow princess, you should come with a warning label.” He said, rubbing his head. Marinette eyes went wide as she realized what she had just done. 

“OhmyogshIamsosorryIdidntnoticeyouhangingthereI-” she babbled, reaching a hand out to help him up. He took it, and she pulled him to his feet.

“It’s alright, Princess. I am a master of stealth, among other things.” There go his ears again.  _ Why did he have to be so arrogant all the time? _ “Besides, that just means you have to make it up to me!” 

Marinette groaned. There was no way this was going to end well. “You mean me helping you last night doesn’t count? What do you want now?” She said with an exasperated sigh. 

Chat smiled mischievously. He reached his arm out to lean against the wall next to her, his tail flowing freely behind him. “Let me take you out. I’ll pick you up off your balcony late tonight.” 

Before Marinette had time to answer, he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips before he disappeared, vaulting through the courtyard and over the roof of the school. Marinette just stood there, blinking after her partner as if in a daze for a couple minutes. She shock her head to clear, and started the long walk home. It was almost as if she were in a trance, and her legs were moving of their own accord. She couldn’t believe it. She had a date with Chat. The same man who never ceased to annoy her and yet managed to leave her speechless every time. She made it halfway home before she remembered she was supposed to walk home with Adrian.  _ Adrain _ . Marinette whipped out her phone and quickly texted him. 

_ Hey there, sorry i didn’t wait for you after the Akuma attack. Maybe we can meet up again tomorrow? _

Marinette didn’t have to wait too long before her phone buzzed in her hand with his reply. 

**No prob. TBH I got locked out during the Akuma attack. See you tomorrow! Xxx**

She stared at his text. Three x’s? She shock her head.  _ Who signs a text with three freaking x’s?  _

She practically ran the rest of the way to her house, rushing through the bakery past her parents with a fast “HimomHiDad!”. She sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time, and yanked open her bedroom door.  She threw herself inside before quickly slamming the door behind her. She shrugged her bag off her shoulders, letting it slump to the ground next to her door. Taking two steps, she crossed over to her bed and flopped, face down, into a mountain of pillows. 

“HmprJfhs” she sigh-screamed into them. The whole day had been a huge mess, and she wasn’t entirely sure what the heck she was going to do about it. She turned to stare up at her ceiling, searching the off white tiles for an answer she knew she wouldn’t find. All she could think about was the smirk on Chat’s face when he was leaning against the wall next to her. In her mind, it felt so wrong, but in her heart it felt so… right. She sighed again, wondering just how it was that her life had managed to get so complicated. 

* * *

 

Chat landed nimbly in an alley a block away from his house. “Claws off,” He said, darkness swirling around him. He leaned up against the alley wall, Plagg coming to land lightly on his shoulder.

“Dude! You’ve gotta stop falling in my suit! I might be durable, but that doesn’t mean I want you scratching me up!” His Kwami complained loudly. Plagg was always cranky after detransformation. 

Adrian rolled his eyes. “Sorry Plagg, I’ll do better to not hurt myself.” 

Plagg hrmpffed, a clear sign that he wasn’t exactly happy but that it would do for now. Adrian closed his eyes for a moment, kicking himself. That stupid Akuma just had to show up at the exact wrong moment. He had planned on walking Marinette home and getting her alone. Then he was going to do what he hadn’t done the night before- show her he was Chat Noir. 

Of course, the akuma fight had ruined all of that. He had thrown her into that classroom on purpose, knowing she needed time to transform. He hadn’t planned on the fight taking so long, or for Ladybug to have to jet so soon after the battle. He had waited outside the room for Marinette to come out, not even thinking about how she would react to Chat being there instead of Adrian. He acted on impulse, asking her out before he even realized what it was he was saying. And then, he did the worst thing he could’ve done- he left. Fast. 

Granted, part of the reason why he left was because he knew if he stayed any longer, Chat fans would find him and he’d be ambushed for interviews, but that wasn’t the main reason. He left because he didn’t want to hear her response, didn’t want to give her the chance to say no.  _ Idiot. _

Adrian felt his phone buzz against his leg. He opened his eyes and reached into his back pocket, digging it out. A test from Marinette. 

_ Hey there, sorry i didn’t wait for you after the Akuma attack. Maybe we can meet up again tomorrow? _

He cursed out loud. Of course Marinette would feel guilty about not waiting for him- he should’ve realized that earlier, but he was too focused on putting as much distance between himself and her answer to think about that until now. He quickly typed back a response. 

**No prob. TBH I got locked out during the Akuma attack. See you tomorrow! Xxx**

He hit send and immediately regretted it. Three x’s? Why the hell did he send three x’s? Kicking himself internally,  he stood up straight and started towards the end of the alley, almost forgetting Plagg was on his shoulder. He paused and looked over at his Kwami. Plagg had curled up into a little ball and had fallen asleep. Adrian gently picked him up and tucked him into his shirt pocket before continuing on his way home. He promised himself that no matter what happened that night, Marinette would know before the sun rose in the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm... seems as if this isn't going to be as easy as Chat originally thought... Will Chat get the chance to reveal his true self to Marinette? Or will something else unexpected pop up to stop him? Tune in text time to find out!  
> 


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the afternoon went by agonizingly slow for Marinette. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do or how she actually felt. When she kissed Chat, she’d definitely felt something in her stomach, although she wasn’t sure if it was butterflies or something way less pleasant. She paced around her room, back and forth, back and forth, trying to figure out what she was going to do. Feelings were so complicated. She liked Adrian, that was a fact. It was her feelings towards Chat she was uncertain of. Sure, he was charming sometimes. And he was pretty well built, as she had learned the previous night. But he was also cocky and overbearing, taking every chance he could to flirt with Ladybug.

Marinette gave up pacing and flopped down onto her bed, letting out a huge sigh. For the first time in a while, she silently wished she wasn’t Ladybug. That would make everything so much easier. She wouldn’t have to see Chat every day, wouldn’t have to lie to him. She also wouldn’t be in this situation. The only reason Chat even came to her last night was because she had worked with him on that one case. She sighed again.

“You alright Marinette?” Tikki peered at her from her perch on top of her computer.

“Yeah, I’m all right Tikki. Just tired.” Marinette said, putting her hands up over her eyes, hoping Tikki wouldn’t ask any more pressing questions.

“Well there’s no time for napping- aren’t you supposed to be meeting up with Chat for patrol in a couple minutes?” Tikki asked, floating over to the bed next to Marinette.

Marinette shot up and glanced at her alarm clock. _6:30 pm_. “Oh shit! I forgot! Tikki, spots on!” The red light had hardly finished engulfing her before she was swinging out the window, racing to get to their normal meeting spot on the roof of a building three blocks away.

Chat was already there waiting by the time Ladybug showed up. He was leaning up against a chimney, looking out out over the river. He smiled as she landed gracefully, the cord of her yoyo zipping back into place. He stepped away from the chimney, and with his normal ambiance bowed before her.

“Afternoon, My Lady.” Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Sorry I’m late, there was some traffic.” She said, trying (and failing) to come up with a good excuse.

Chat laughed. “I thought the skies seemed a little crowded today.”

She ignored him and pushed past him to stand at the edge of the rooftop, enjoying the way the sun glittered delicately off of the river. She was trying her hardest not to look at Chat, not to stare at the way his cat suit melded perfectly over his skin, or the way his eyes sparkled whenever he made a move on her.

“Do you see something?” Chat asked, forcing her to look at him over her shoulder.

“No, I just-” again she found herself trying to make up an excuse for him “-was enjoying the view.”

“So am I,” Chat said with a cheeky wink. Ladybug could feel a slight blush creep up to her cheeks.

“Oh shut up,” she muttered. “Let’s get going, I want to get this over with quickly. I’ve got somewhere else to be tonight."

Chat’s mask moved up as he raised his eyebrows, a move that almost made Ladybug swoon. “Alright,” he said after a couple seconds of contemplation. “I hope we don't get this over with too quickly though,” he winked. He _winked_ at her. Ladybug gulped. This was going to be a long patrol.

They started off on their usual route. Down to the river shore, then up towards the Louvre, circle around past her high school, and then finally end up at the Eiffel tower before separating. While it didn’t cover all of Paris, it covered the area that 98% of the Akuma attacks tended to happen in. They didn’t talk much while they swung through the streets- it was hard to keep a conversation going when they were in midair with the wind rushing past their faces. For once, Ladybug was grateful for the silence. It meant there was a smaller chance she’d say something she’d regret.

They had just passed the Louvre when something on the street below caught Chat’s eyes. “My Lady, look.” He called.

The duo stopped on a rooftop, landing nimbly and peering cautiously over the edge. The street was empty, except for a vender selling red roses on the corner of a busier street.

Ladybug looked at her partner, confused. “Chat, there’s nothing here.”

He smiled at her, a smile that made her insides melt together. “Of course there is! There’s a truly heinous crime being committed!” Chat grabbed her arm, and pointed at the vendor's cart that was overflowing with freshly cut roses. “Those flowers are being wasted! How can they live up to their beauty if they aren’t held in the arms of someone just as pur-fect, like yourself?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction that his words had started to make her heart beat faster. Besides, his delivery was a little over the top.

“Oh shut up you stupid kitty,” she grumbled, removing her arm from his grasp. She took off again, leaving him standing behind her smirking in the dust.

The rest of their patrol went smoothly. Nothing major was happening in Paris on a Tuesday night. They landed on a beam on the tower as the sun began to set, casting a golden glow throughout the city. Ladybug sat down, her legs hanging off the edge of the beam. Chat came and sat next to her, close enough that she could reach out and grab his hand if she wanted. Not that she was thinking about that or anything.

They sat there for a couple minutes, enjoying the sunset and each other’s company. She sighed,contently. It was the first time all night she had felt normal around him, like it was just Ladybug and Chat and he hadn’t kissed her. _But he didn’t kiss you, he kissed Marinette,_ she reminded herself. And as far as he knew, those were two different people.

“My Lady, I-” Chat’s quiet voice startled her from her thoughts. She turned her head to look at him, only to find his face only a few inches from her own. She hadn’t even noticed him moving closer to her. She met his crystal green eyes, and her heart flipped. 

Chat didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her. Ladybug closed her eyes. It was exactly how she remembered it- soft and sweet, with a secret passion. His lips were soft and smooth, and she could feel his hand on the back of her head, holding her closer as he kissed her again. He was kissing her again. _No, he’s kissing LADYBUG._

Her eyes flew open and she pushed him away, breaking the kiss. “I- I have to go,” she said, not looking at him. Before he could react she dove off of the tower. She heard Chat yell after her, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t.

Ladybug landed on her terrace a few minutes later, and ducked inside. Once safely hidden in the comfort of her room, she whispered “Spots off,” before sinking to the ground as the red glow surrounded her.

Marinette felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks. That stupid Chat! She was so upset- sure, _technically_ he had kissed her both times, but he didn’t know that. He had kissed Marinette and Ladybug, within the same 24 hour period. Two different girls, and it _stung_. She had honestly thought Chat had liked her- at least, Marinette her. Turns out, he was just practicing for when he was with Ladybug again. It killed her a little inside. If he didn’t like Marinette then how could she as Ladybug, make it work out?

“Marinette, are you alright?” Tikki asked softly, tired from the long patrol. She floated over to sit on Marinette’s shoulder.

“I-I’m fine, Tikki. Or I will be,” she offered up meekly. She stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn’t know why she was working herself up so much- before last night, she wouldn’t have thought twice about Chat, and now here she was crying? He wasn’t worth it.

She crossed over to her bathroom, and looked in the mirror. Her mascara had run a little from the wet tears, and her hair was a little frizzy from the humidity. She reached into the cabinet above the sink and grabbed out a makeup wipe. She fiercely attacked her face, scrubbing away all the make and the remaining taste of Chat’s lips. She was halfway done when her cell phone rang.

She put the wipe down on the edge of the sink and raced to grab her phone from its location next to her computer. It was a text from Alya.

**_Have you seen the latest post on the lady blog??? Link_ **

Marinette clicked on it, and gasped, the phone slipping. The picture was a little grainy and slightly dark, but there was no mistaking the two figures in the picture. Someone had managed to get a picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing on the Eiffel Tower. She stared at picture blankly. She hadn’t realized anyone else had been out there watching them. And now, the whole world would know about them.

Her phone buzzed again in her hand and she watched as the little text banner popped up over the picture. It was Alya again.

**_I’m literally jumping up and down for joy I always thought the two of them would be so cute together!_ **

Marinette wished she felt the same way, but the picture made her feel sick to her stomach- a reminder that Chat liked Ladybug and not poor little Marinette. She couldn’t even tell Alya about how upset the picture made her, because that would open the door to questions she didn’t want to answer. She knew she had to text Alya back though- she learned from experience that if she didn’t respond quick enough to Ladybug news, Alya was likely to show up/call her/ demand to see her to talk to her about it.

_LOL That’s so cute! I wish I could talk more, but I gotta finish that reading for class tomorrow. ILY- TTYL!_

She put her phone down and slumped over onto the desk. She buried her head in her arms, utterly defeated. That picture came at the worst possible time- she wanted nothing more than to forget about the whole incident, but she knew that that couldn’t happen. Not anymore. By tomorrow, that picture would be EVERYWHERE and there would be no way to avoid it.

She could just hear Alya talking to her in class about it- going on and on about the angle, how romantic it was, how she wished she and Nino where that cute together… Marinette sighed. She wished there was a way to go back in time and not end up sitting with Chat, to not have kissed him at all. She wanted to go back to the way it was before, before her feelings were all jumbled together, before she couldn’t look at her partner anymore, before she realized her heart break.

A knock on her window made her jump. She looked up, and saw a black tail swaying gently outside. She cursed, thinking about how foolish she was. She’d forgotten Chat was coming to pick her up for a date. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. She reached up and closed the curtains, ignoring him. She stood up from her desk and walked back into the bathroom, where she resumed scrubbing the last of her runny mascara off her face.

A louder knock rang through her room, coming from the trap door to the terrace. “Marinette? Your prince has arrived!” Chat purred through the door.

Marinette felt like a dagger had been twisted inside her heart. He acted as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t kissed Ladybug less than an hour ago! She felt the pain and heartbreak in her heart flip and turn into hot anger. She stormed out of the bathroom and up to the trapdoor. She opened it and climbed out into the night.

Chat was leaning up against the railing. “There you are, Princess! I was beginning to worry that you had forgotten about our little rendezvous!” He said cheerfully, standing up. “Here, I brought you some flowers!” He pulled his hand out from behind his back to reveal two small seed packets. “They’re Daisy and Carnations! I figured you could add them to your collection!”

“Go home, Chat,” she said flatly, pushing his hands away from her. She could see his face fall under his mask.

“Princess, what’s wrong? Did I get the wrong type of flowers?” Chat asked, taking a step closer to her. She responded by taking another step back.

“No, you stupid Chat,” she said, a sharp edge creeping into her voice. “Just get out of here, ok? I don’t want to see you again.” She turned to go back inside, but Chat reached out and grabbed her forearm, pulling her back around.

“Marinette, what’s going on? Talk to me, baby...” He said, searching her hardened face, “Please, you’re breaking my heart...:”

There it was. The last straw. All the anger boiling up inside of her came flooding out. Marinette laughed, a cruel, ugly laugh. “I’m breaking YOUR heart? Did I hear that correctly?” She pulled her arm from Chat’s grasp. “You idiot. I know what you did, you little player!”

She could see her words were hurting him, but she really didn’t care. She wanted, no, _needed_ him to feel the same pain that she had felt.

“Mari…” he whispered, but she ignored him.

“Did you really think you could get away with this? That I wouldn't find out? God, Chat, I saw the picture! I know you love Ladybug,” she said, “I saw the picture of you two kissing today in the sunset. I can't believe you! I actually thought you liked me, you know?”

“St-stop…” Chat was tearing up, but Marinette kept going, letting all her frustrations out.

“I thought you cared about me! God I was such a fool! And I can’t believe you showed up here tonight after pulling that stunt! I wish I’d never met you and your stupid face!” Marinette could feel the tears reappearing on her face as she screamed at Chat. “Just-just get out of here! I don’t want to see you again!”

She turned and walked steadily back to the door to her room. She paused before reaching for the handle, and turned to look back at Chat. She steadied her voice, letting it return to a normal volume. “I wish I had never met you.”

And with that, she disappeared back down into the peaceful reality of her room, leaving a broken Chat sobbing on the balcony.

* * *

“Ladybug, Wait!” Chat had called after her when she fled after they kissed. He almost fell off the tower because he had lunged so far forward to try and grab her. “Shit.”

He watched her retreating form and sat back down, burying his face in his hands. He wasn’t going to kiss her, not originally. But sitting there so close to her, in the city of Love, watching the sunset, one of the most romantic things out there? It had overpowered him. He had said her name to tell her, to explain who he was and how he felt, but the way their eyes had met had made his insides melt together. So he kissed her. As Ladybug.

 _Poor Marinette,_ he lamented as the sun finally set below the horizon. _She’s going to be so upset when I see her for our date..._

“SHIT!” He swore again. He had a date with Marinette, and he was going to be late.

He pulled out his staff and started to quickly make his way to her house. He paused for a moment to buy her some flower seeds, hoping, praying that she’d be so caught off guard when he gave them to her she’d give him a moment to explain everything and make things right. He landed silently on Marinettes Terrace, and let his tail hang down over the edge as he sat for a moment to collect himself, prepare himself for the confrontation that was about to come.

He called for her, several times, trying to maintain his happy go lucky demeanor. When she finally did appear, a pit formed in the bottom of his stomach. He could tell she had been crying, and he knew it was all because of him.

The rest happened as if he was in his bed, watching some movie where he was the star. He watched as he offered Marinette the flowers, watched helpless as she turned him away. Watched helpless as she broke his heart. Watched as she turned and left, wishing she had never met him.

He stood there crying for a couple of minutes, letting the pain run over him, knowing all of this was his fault. He put the seed packets on the table and left, running across the rooftops and trying desperately to regain control over his emotions. The pain he’d seen on Marinette’s face had killed him more than the words she had screamed at him.

He jumped off of a rooftop and flew through an open window into his room. “Claws Off,” he said, his voice cracking. Within moments Plagg’s comforting form was in front of his face.

“You’ve gotta stop wearing me for so long man! I’m going to have to take a bath if you don’t!” He whined loudly.

For once, Adrain ignored him. Instead, he stalked over to his bed and flopped down, landing on his back with a slight ompf. He grabbed a small throw pillow and pressed it over his face, trying to hide the fact he was upset from Plagg. It didn't work. 

“Hey kid, you alright? You’re killing the mood.” Adrian could hear Plagg's voice getting closer, and then he felt the pillow slipping from his hand as Plagg puled it away. “Kid?”

“Go away, Plagg.” Adrian muttered, rolling onto his side to avoid Plagg’s inquiring gaze.

“What happened out there tonight man? I wasn’t exactly paying attention, seeing as how I was a little busy keeping us alive.” Plagg settled onto a pillow in Adrian's line of vision.

“Marinette hates me. I kissed her as Ladybug, and then showed up to take her on a date. She screamed at me, Plagg. She told me she wished she’d never met me. God I’m a fool.” Adrian confessed.

“Wow. I've seen my fair share of bad love confessions in my day, but wow. You really Chatted this one up.” Plagg said, eyeing him.

"...did you just use my name as a verb?" Adrian asked. Plagg, of course, ignored him and kept right on going. 

“It's gonna take a lot to regain her trust now. BUt there might be a little sliver. Tell me- did she yell at you, or at Chat?”

Adrian propped himself up with one hand, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you obviously haven’t told Marinette you know her secret and she, therefore, doesn’t know yours. So, I’ll ask you again, did she yell at you as Chat or as Adrian?”

“Plagg, you're a genius!” Adrian lept from his bed and went straight to his drawers. He tore through them, picking out a new outfit.

“Now, I think I’ve earned myself a nice, cheesy, reward?” Plagg licked his lips as Adrian quickly threw on a new shirt.

“No time! We’ve gotta get to Marinette’s house now! It’s about time I actually told her, don’t you think?” Adrian scoped Plagg up off of the bed and rushed to the window. “Claws on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh I'm sorry I'm the worst person ever at updating things. Hope you guys liked the angst cuz I know I liked writing it!-XOXO, T


	4. Chapter 4

Chat landed silently on Marinette’s balcony for the second time that night. 

“Claws off,” he whispered before crossing over to the trap door. He knocked gently and waited. 

And waited. Paced around the balcony nervously. And waited. After what seemed like forever, Adrien looked down at his watch.  **_1:33 am._ **

He risked peeking into Marinette’s windows, and noticed they were dark. “Shit. Looks like she’s asleep. Plagg, what should I do?” 

His Kwami yawned loudly. “Follow her lead. Man, I’m beat. Why don’t you just tell her tomorrow? Won’t you see her during school?”

“I didn’t want to wait that long, but I guess it’ll have to do. Claws On!”

“Aw man I was napping…” Plagg grumbled as he started the transformation process. Chat lept from the balcony and set off once again back to the comfort of his own house, leaving the girl he loved to her sweet dreams.

* * *

 

Marinette stifled a yawn as the bell rang. She lazily gathered up her belongings and stood up. Her legs gave out beneath her and she fell forward with an _ompf_ , spilling her books all over the classroom floor. 

“Mari! Are you ok?” Alya dove to her rescue, reaching out a hand to pull her to her feet. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just so tired… I was up really late last night.” Mari said as she and Alya picked up her scattered belongings. “I had a lot of work I needed to get done.”

“I was wondering why your hair was down today. Girl, we’ve talked about this- you’re clumsy enough as it is with a full night’s sleep,” Alya said as the two of them walked side by side out of their art class and started down the hallway to their Advanced Biology class. 

“I know, I know, but I got carried away reading yesterday and then I forgot to do the notes for Bio and you know how Spritzer gets…”

“Uh huh. You don’t need to tell me twice.” Alya fixed Marinette with a look that made her squirm. “Although, I don’t think that’s what actually happened. You look flustered today, and more out of it then normal Tired Mari would be. You’re going to spill all the details to me in Bio, ok?”

They walked into the classroom a couple of seconds before the bell rang and quickly found their seats together at the front of the classroom. Their bio teacher, a thin, bean pole of a man named Mr. Spitzer, was standing in the middle row between the paired desks shuffling a deck of cards menacingly. 

“Oh no,  _ please _ tell me there we aren’t doing a lab today,” Marinette groaned, sinking down in her seat. “I hate it when he uses those stupid cards to assign partners.”

“I don’t see a lab on the schedule, but-” Alya was cut off by Spritzer clearing his throat. 

“Alright guys, let’s mix things up a little.” He started passing out cards to every person. 

He gave Alya one with a blue beetle on it and the number 4. Marinette’s heart sank as she received hers- a Jack with some kind of velvet bug on it. As soon as he had given one to everybody, he returned to his spot at the front of the classroom. 

“Grab your things. We’re getting new seats!” The whole class groaned in unison as Spritzer started numbering of tables. “Can I have my ones over here? The twos, threes, fours…”

“Good luck…” Alya whispered as she moved towards where Spritzer had gestured. “At least you aren’t stuck next to Chloe like I am.”

“...nines here, then tens, and Jacks you guys are right here at this table in the back!” Spritzer finished. 

Marinette hurried to the table and sat down in the first seat. She reached into her bag and started pulling out her binder and her favorite pen when a familiar voice made her freeze. 

“Is this were the Jacks are?” Adrien asked. Marinette looked up at him and smiled as her heart went crazy. 

“Yup!” She said, scooting her chair in a couple inches to let him pass by her.  _ Of All the people in the classroom, I’m sitting next to him?  _ She thought, her brain going into hyperdrive.  _ It’s official- the universe hates me. _

“You guys know the drill. Turn to your new seat mate and introduce yourselves.” Spritzer’s booming voice commanded  __

“You know, I got to see your latest Art work today,” Adrien said as Marinette straightened up, placing her binder neatly on the desk in front of her. “My French teacher, Mr. Mullins, took us to see the artwork in hopes it would ‘inspire us’.”

“Oh really? What’d you think?” She asked, turning her head to look at his bright green eyes. 

“My favorite was the painting you did of the flowers with the sun setting in the background. It felt really homey, and I loved how the colors all blended together.” 

Of course Adrien would have been attracted to Marinette's favorite piece, the one she had spent hours on. She smiled, and tried her best to hide the fact she could feel butterflies in her stomach again. 

it was short lived, however, as soon they fell into an awkward silence, the kind that comes with knowing someone but not actually being considered a friend. Marinette turned her attention to the board, where Spritzer was droning on about ATP Synthase and Electron Transport Chains. 

“So um,” Adrien cleared his throat. “Do you think these are going to be our new permanent seats or…?”

Marinette peered at him out of the corner of her eyes as she squabbled down a quick note. “I think so… why? Don't you want to sit next to me?”

“I, uh, wait, that-” Adrien was floundering like a fish outta water. 

Marinette giggled and turned to face him, a devilish smile across her face as he squirmed and tried to find the right words. “I'm just kidding, don't worry.” 

Relief spread across Adrien's face. Marinette shock her head gently and returned to taking notes on the boring lecture. 

The rest of class passed quickly, with a couple of quick questions asked between the two as they tried to understand the hard material. Marinette had no problem showing off how much she knew about the subject, and Adrien seemed to hang off of every word she said. Finally, the bell rang signaling the end of the day, and both stood up to gather their belongings. 

“Hey, so um, I know you said that we could make up that study group today,” Adrien said as Marinette put  her pencil pouch in her bag. “But I, uh, forgot I had a photo shoot scheduled for today. I'll see you later, ok?” 

“Sounds great! Bye Adrian!” Marinette said, waving as he walked away. She picked up her binder and went to put it in her bag, but something slipped out. She looked down and saw a folded up note. She looked around at the emptying classroom to see if someone had dropped it before bending it over and picking it up. 

“Marinette! If you don’t come right now, I’m going to leave without you and let you walk home by yourself!” Alya called from the front of the classroom where she was waiting impatiently. 

“Got it! Gimmie a sec,” She said as she stuffed the note into her pocket. She’d just have to wait until she got home to read it. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she hurried to catch up to Alya. 

“You’re so slow today,” Alya joked. “Must be a case of the Adrien’s again.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Marinette said, winking as her best friend giggled. “Besides, I told you, I’m way past that. He’s  _ so  _  two months ago.”

“And you’re  _ so _ still into him.” 

“...shut up.” 

The two girls laughed loudly as they made their way to the back of the school where Alya’s scooter was waiting. Alya tossed her a helmet and Marinette caught it, although she almost dropped her bag in the process. 

“I’m surprised- normally you’re not so well coordinated.” Alya joked as she climbed in front. 

“I’m surprised you haven’t brought up your boyfriend in this conversation yet.” Marinette joked back, wrapping her arms around Alya’s waist. 

“I don’t talk about him that much… and besides, I’m waiting for you to dish on your new guy.”

“What do you mean, my new guy?” Mari asked as Alya lurched forward and they set off down the street. 

“Well, you’ve been floating on air the past few days. I haven’t seen you like this since Adrian offered you his umbrella, so there’s gotta be a new guy. Spill.”

Marinette sighed. “I really don’t wanna talk about it, to be honest. You’re kinda right- there was this guy I know from another school who I thought was into me. A couple of days ago he kissed me-”

“WHAT!” Alya served slightly, almost crashing at Marinette’s revelation. “And you didn't tell me?”

“I didn’t know how I felt about it. But yesterday I decided I liked it, and I was going to tell him but I saw him kiss another girl…”

“That punk! I’ll kick his as-”

“EYES ON THE ROAD!” Marinette said as Alya dodged a pigeon that had landed in their path.

“Sorry. Why don’t you finish when we get to your house? We’re almost there.”

“Sounds good.”

“Got it.” Ayla nodded. They rode the last 2 minutes in silence before Alya expertly parked behind the cafe. Marinette hopped off first and unlocked the door, letting them both inside. 

As soon as they got upstairs, Alya sat down on her bed and pulled a pillow into her lap. “Alright, now finish the story. What’d you do?”

Mari sighed and slumped into the computer chair. “I blew up at him. He told me it was a one time thing, that it didn’t mean anything to him, but I told him to take his excuses and shove them up his butt.”

“Good girl! Honestly I don’t know why guys need to be jerks like that. Good thing Nino knows that if he tries to pull shit like that with me, I’ll do what they do in Ireland.” Alya said. 

“Which is?”

“I’ll shoot him in the knee.” Alya shrugged, then looked at her watch. “I gotta go- I’m picking up Nino in a few minutes for a date.”

Marinette giggled. “I bet he must hate you driving him everywhere.”

“On the contrary, he likes it so much he’s trying to convince me to become his personal chauffeur. See you later, Mari!”

“Bye, Alya!” Marinette waved as she disappeared down the stairs. 

As soon as she heard the engine of Alya’s scooter roar outside her window, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t like keeping secrets from Alya, nor did she like lying to her face, but she knew she could never reveal who the boy was or how she still felt about said boy. 

Marinette was about to flop onto her bed in defeat when she remembered something. Something important. She walked over to her bag and grabbed out the note she had unceremoniously stuffed inside earlier. Unfolding it, she walked back to her bed and sat down on the edge. 

The note read:

 

_ My Lady,  _

_ I know your secret, but don’t worry because soon enough you will know mine as well. Meet me on your balcony tonight at 8. All will be revealed then. -X _

 

Marinette paled. “Oh no oh no oh no…” she muttered as she reread the note, crinkling the edges of the paper from gripping it so hard. 

“What’s wrong?” Tikki asked, coming to land gently on Marinette’s shoulder. 

“Someone sent me this note today. Do you think they could know I’m.. you know?”

“You’ve been so careful, I don’t know how they could. Are you sure you don’t know who gave it to you?” 

Marinette shook her head. “No, but it’s gotta be someone from my school. They slipped the note into my bag.”

“At least it’s not a total stranger.” Tikki offered up hopefully. 

“I guess… Tikki, what if they do know about Ladybug? WHat’ll happen? I mean, technically I didn’t tell them, they told me… would I still be able to keep you?”

“I’m not sure,” Tikki said, floating down to examine the note again. “This note sounds familiar though… I think I might know who wrote this. And if I’m right, then you’ll be fine. If not then I honestly don’t know. No Ladybug has ever been exposed like this before.”

“Oh god no what if I messed up Ladybug for everyone?” Marinette said worriedly. “What if everyone finds out and laughs at me? Oh Tikki, what am I gonna do?”

“There’s nothing you can do, Marinette. Looks like you’ll just have to wait and see who shows up tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know I'm an awful human being for not updating but hey I've been super busy doing, uhm, research for part of this chapter (which may or may not be based off in part of something that actually happened?)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! Hope you guys enjoyed it! -xoxo, T


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